Health and Safety Policy

Garcia&Son recognises its duties and responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and will comply with all statutory duties for Health & Safety to ensure as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees and other parties who may be affected by our direct work activities. 

The Director of the company, is aware of their individual responsibilities and what is required to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the company’s workforce and anyone affected by our work activities. Employees will also be made aware of their responsibilities to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their own wellbeing and those effected by their actions through co-operation with the company.

Sufficient time and resources will be allowed for health and safety, and the company shall:

• Training – Ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks and give them adequate training.

• Consultation – Consult in the most appropriate manner with employees & co-workers on matters affecting their health & safety.

• Cooperation & safety of others – The company will have pre-site meetings with the client to be made aware of any hazards involved with the task at hand. Suitable signage will be used to ensure other parties are not put at unknown risk.

• Monitoring, Audit & Review – Review and revise its policy and procedures as required at regular intervals.

• Accident Reporting – The company will comply with RIDDOR and report all incidents where legally required. All accidents will be reported to management and will be recorded in the accident book.

• Fire & Emergency Procedures – The company will assess the risk of all fire hazards and will separate all combustible materials. In the case of an emergency, all staff will congregate at the designated meetings points and emergency services will be contacted.

• First Aid – First aid provision will be made available & issued to all staff for their place of work or pre-arranged with the client for external premises.

• Manual Handling – The company will assess the risk of manual handling where relevant. Training will be provided to ensure safe working practices. 

• Work Equipment – Provide and maintain safe plant and equipment. 

• Asbestos – If during the execution and/or undertaking of our normal work activities there is concern of asbestos being encountered/disturbed, the company will provide asbestos awareness training to ensure that asbestos can be identified. The asbestos register will be checked on client sites or will be made aware of its location before work commences.

• PPE – Personal Protective Equipment will be provided free of charge to all employees. This equipment will be suitable for the work undertaken and training will be provided for its use.

• Welfare – Maintain safe and healthy working conditions in addition to providing & arranging (client sites – where necessary) access to adequate welfare facilities such as toilets, washing facilities with potable drinking water.

• COSHH – Ensure safe handling, storage and use of all substances. An appropriate assessment will be made to ensure the risk of its use is measured.

• Risk Assessment – The company will be responsible for undertaking all risk assessments ensuring all associated hazards are identified with suitable control measure implemented. These risk assessments will be made available to all staff and reviewed amended as necessary.

• CDM – When involved in any construction related activity as defined under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations the company will ensure that all works are sensibly planned so that the risks involved are managed from start to finish, engage with workers about the risks and the relevant controls necessary to manage them, provide information on how those risks are being managed, select the right people to undertake the works, cooperate and coordinate the works with others and communicate all relevant information effectively.

• Additionally, where the company acts a Principal Contractor for Non-notifiable projects, we will ensure that any sub-contractors used are competent to undertake the work, will be adequately monitored on-site and/or will always work under our direct supervision. Any site managers employed will be competent and have a full understand of their duties, all contractors will receive a suitable site induction prior to the commencement of the works and on an on-going basis via toolbox talks if required. A construction phase plan proportional to the risks involved in the project will be produced, with reasonable steps undertaken to prevent any unauthorised access to the site. Where possible we will make use of the client’s facilities if they meet the requirements for that project. If this is not the case, we will ensure that adequate temporary welfare facilities are in place prior to the project starting,